VOIDPaper only: marks a form on a sheet that should be ignored. It is not a correction; a filed return is undone with a corrected return.How corrections workCORRECTEDChecked on a return that replaces one already filed. Which fields to repeat, and whether two returns are needed, depends on the error.Type 1 vs Type 2 correctionsPayer's/trustee's nameWhat goes hereFor a QTP: the name of the program, with its EIN as the payer's TIN. If a state program uses the state's EIN, put the state's name on the first name line and the program's name on the second. For a Coverdell ESA: the trustee's name and EIN.Watch forThe payer's or trustee's TIN may never be truncated, on any copy.Check the filer blockBox 1: Gross distributionWhat goes hereThe gross distribution, in cash or in kind. For a QTP that includes tuition credits or certificates, payment vouchers, tuition waivers, and refunds to the owner or beneficiary, or on death or disability. For a Coverdell ESA, refunds, payments on death or disability, and excess contributions withdrawn with earnings.Watch forIf you do not report earnings and basis for a Coverdell ESA distribution, leave boxes 2 and 3 blank (not zero) and report the year-end FMV in box 7, labeled "FMV."Click to open the row in the box tableBox 2: EarningsWhat goes hereThe earnings part of box 1, figured with the earnings ratio in Proposed Regulations section 1.529-3, Notice 2001-81 and Notice 2016-13.Watch forShow a loss only in the final year of distributions from the account; otherwise, with a loss or no earnings, enter zero. A Coverdell ESA returned contribution with earnings goes on its own Form 1099-Q, with code 2 or 3 in box 7.Click to open the row in the box tableCalendar yearThe year the payment was made, not the year you file. The 2026 forms cover payments in 2026 and are filed in 2027.The 2027 calendarPayer's/trustee's TINThe EIN the returns are filed under; it must match the filer name on the first line. A sole proprietor may use an SSN, with the owner's name first.Check the filer blockRecipient's TINWhat goes hereThe TIN of the person listed as the recipient: the designated beneficiary or the account owner, depending on how the money was paid.Watch forYou may truncate it on the recipient's statement, never on anything you file with the IRS.Match it before you fileBox 3: BasisWhat goes hereIf you can determine it, the basis included in the gross distribution.Watch forBox 3 must equal box 1 minus box 2. For a Coverdell ESA you may rely on Notice 2001-81 to figure basis.Click to open the row in the box tableTrustee-to-trusteeCheck it whenBox 4a: the money went directly from one QTP to another, or from a QTP to an ABLE account. For a Coverdell ESA, directly to another Coverdell ESA or to a QTP.Watch forFile a separate Form 1099-Q for each trustee-to-trustee transfer. Without records showing a Coverdell ESA distribution was a direct transfer, leave 4a blank.Open this box on the IRIS field mapRecipient's nameWhat goes hereQTP: the designated beneficiary only when the money went directly to the beneficiary, to an eligible educational institution for the beneficiary, or trustee to trustee to the beneficiary's Roth IRA. Otherwise, the account owner. Coverdell ESA: always the designated beneficiary.Watch forUse the TIN of whoever you list as the recipient, and check box 6 when that person is not the designated beneficiary.Which name goes firstQTP to Roth IRACheck it whenBox 4b: the distribution went directly, trustee to trustee, from a QTP to a Roth IRA maintained for the QTP beneficiary.Watch forList the designated beneficiary as the recipient for this transfer. Box 4b was added in the April 2025 revision.Open this box on the IRIS field mapBox 6: Designated beneficiary checkboxCheck it whenThe recipient is not the designated beneficiary under the QTP or Coverdell ESA (section 529(e)(1)).Watch forFor a QTP, this is usually the account owner, listed when the money was not paid to the beneficiary, to an eligible educational institution for the beneficiary, or to the beneficiary's Roth IRA.Click to open the row in the box tablePrivate QTPCheck it whenBox 5a: the distribution is from a QTP established by one or more private eligible educational institutions.Watch forCheck only one of boxes 5a, 5b and 5c.Open this box on the IRIS field mapRecipient's street addressWhere the recipient copy is mailed. From the W-9 line 5; the IRS does not match it, but an undeliverable copy is a furnishing failure.State QTPCheck it whenBox 5b: the distribution is from a QTP established by a state.Watch forCheck only one of boxes 5a, 5b and 5c.Open this box on the IRIS field mapCoverdell ESACheck it whenBox 5c: the distribution is from a Coverdell ESA, that is, not from a private or state QTP.Watch forFor a Coverdell ESA the recipient is always the designated beneficiary, and the trustee's name and EIN go in the payer fields.Open this box on the IRIS field mapRecipient's city or townCity of the mailing address, from the W-9 line 6.Account numberWhat goes hereYour account number for this recipient.Required whenYou have more than one account for a recipient and file more than one Form 1099-Q for that person. The IRS encourages one on every form.Hover over a box for what goes in it; click to open its row in the table below. On a touch screen, tap the box to jump to the row.
Who must file Form 1099-Q
File Form 1099-Q if you are an officer or employee, or the designee of an officer or employee, having control of a program established by a state or eligible educational institution (a qualified tuition program, or 529 plan), and you made a distribution from it; or if you are the trustee of a Coverdell ESA and made a distribution. A trustee-to-trustee transfer between programs is reportable (box 4a), as is a rollover from a QTP to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary (box 4b). A change of designated beneficiary to a family member is not a distribution and is not reported.
The recipient is the designated beneficiary when the distribution is paid to the beneficiary or the school, and the account owner when it is paid to the owner; box 6 flags a recipient who is not the designated beneficiary.
Threshold: All amounts, every distribution from a qualified tuition program or Coverdell ESA, including transfers and rollovers; no minimum.
What is reported, box by box
| Box | What it reports | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gross distribution | No thresholdThe gross distribution in cash or in kind, including tuition credits, vouchers, waivers and refunds; for a Coverdell ESA, also excess contributions withdrawn with earnings. If you skip earnings and basis on a Coverdell ESA, leave boxes 2 and 3 blank and put the year-end FMV in box 7. |
| 2 | Earnings | The earnings part of box 1, figured with the earnings ratio. Show a loss only in the final year of distributions from the account; otherwise enter zero. A Coverdell ESA excess contribution returned with earnings goes on its own Form 1099-Q. |
| 3 | Basis | The basis included in the gross distribution, if you can determine it. It must equal box 1 minus box 2. |
| 4a | Trustee-to-trustee transfer | CheckboxA direct transfer from one QTP to another or from a QTP to an ABLE account; for a Coverdell ESA, to another Coverdell ESA or a QTP. File a separate Form 1099-Q for each transfer, and leave it blank without records of the transfer. |
| 4b | QTP to Roth IRA rollover | CheckboxAdded in the April 2025 revision. A direct trustee-to-trustee transfer from a QTP to a Roth IRA for the QTP beneficiary; list the designated beneficiary as the recipient. |
| 5 | Type of program | Checkbox5a for a QTP set up by private eligible educational institutions, 5b for a state QTP, otherwise 5c for a Coverdell ESA. |
| 6 | Designated beneficiary checkbox | CheckboxCheck it when the recipient is not the designated beneficiary, typically the QTP account owner when the money was not paid to the beneficiary, a school for the beneficiary, or the beneficiary's Roth IRA. |
| 7 | Distribution code | OptionalOne distribution code: 1 distributions, 2 or 3 Coverdell ESA excess contributions with earnings taxable this year or the prior year, 4 disability, 5 death, 6 prohibited transaction. Also where the year-end FMV goes, labeled "FMV," when Coverdell ESA earnings are not reported. All box 7 codes. |
Distribution codes for box 7 (6 codes)
Optional: you may enter one code to identify the distribution, abbreviated if needed (for example, distr. code 1).
| Code | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distributions | Distributions (including transfers) to the recipient and direct payments to a school; also a QTP to ABLE rollover. Use 2 or 3 for excess contributions. |
| 2 | Excess contributions plus earnings taxable in current year | Withdrawals of excess Coverdell ESA contributions and earnings, unless code 3 applies. |
| 3 | Excess contributions plus earnings taxable in prior year | Withdrawals of excess Coverdell ESA contributions; tell payees the earnings are taxable in the year the excess was contributed. |
| 4 | Disability | Distributions made after the recipient became disabled (section 72(m)(7)). |
| 5 | Death | Payments to a decedent's beneficiary, including an estate. |
| 6 | Prohibited transaction | See sections 408(e)(2) and 408(e)(4) for similar rules that apply to a Coverdell ESA. |
Source: Instructions for Form 1099-Q (Rev. April 2025), Distribution Codes; Form 1099-Q (Rev. April 2025)
Box titles follow the current revision of the form. The IRS reads the payer and recipient name, TIN, address, account number and the money boxes; the state boxes are for the state copy only.
Payments that are not reported on Form 1099-Q
- A change in the designated beneficiary to a member of the former beneficiary's family.
- Earnings that stay in the account (reported on Form 5498-ESA for Coverdell contributions, not on 1099-Q).
Due dates and extensions
| Copy | Due | For 2026 returns |
|---|---|---|
| To the IRS, paper | February 28 | Monday, March 1, 2027 (February 28 is a Sunday) |
| To the IRS, electronic | March 31 | Wednesday, March 31, 2027 |
| To the recipient | January 31 | Monday, February 1, 2027 (January 31 is a Sunday) |
An automatic 30-day extension is available on Form 8809, filed by the due date on paper or through IRIS; a second 30 days requires a hardship showing. Recipient statements can be extended 30 days on Form 15397, online or by fax only. 10 or more information returns of any type in aggregate must be e-filed (T.D. 9972); IRIS is the only IRS intake system from filing season 2027, FIRE having been retired. A payer who e-files the originals must e-file the corrections.
For 2026 forms filed in 2027: January 31 falls on a Sunday, so that deadline moves to Monday, February 1, 2027; February 28 also falls on a Sunday, so the paper deadline moves to Monday, March 1, 2027. March 31 (electronic) and March 15 are weekdays. February 28 does not become February 29 in a leap year. The compliance calendar has every date with the weekend shifts applied.
Withholding and TIN matching
Distributions from qualified tuition programs and Coverdell ESAs are excluded from backup withholding and the form is not in the IRS TIN Matching program. The penalty for failing to file is $50 per return under IRC 6693IRC 6693Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII, with no annual maximum, rather than the tiered IRC 6721IRC 6721Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII amounts; the reasonable-cause defense still applies. The name/TIN pair is whichever party is the recipient for that distribution, beneficiary or owner, which changes from year to year for the same account.
Name and TIN errors on this form
Every information return is matched by the IRS on the first four characters of the payee's name (the name control) against the TIN. For this form the penalty is IRC 6693IRC 6693Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII: $50 per return for each failure to file or furnish, with no annual maximum, unless the failure was due to reasonable cause. A mismatch still produces a CP2100 line the following autumn. The errors that recur on Form 1099-Q:
- Beneficiary versus owner. Payments to the school or the student report under the student's SSN; a refund to the parent reports under the parent's. Box 6 tells the IRS which one.
- Beneficiaries whose names changed. A 529 opened for a newborn is drawn on eighteen years later; the SSA record may have changed in between.
- Trustee-to-trustee transfers still carry the beneficiary's TIN even though no one received cash.
The name control calculator shows what the IRS will derive from a name line, and the CP2100 guide covers what to do when the notice arrives.
Recipient statements and substitutes
The recipient statement for Form 1099-Q need not be a copy of the official form: a substitute may be combined with other account statements or reports, provided every required item is numbered and titled as on the official form, the tax year, form number and form name appear together, the recipient instructions are included, and, for the forms Pub 1099 lists, a telephone number with direct access to someone who can answer questions is shown. Publication 1179 (Rev. Proc. 2026-18) has the specifications; logos, slogans and advertising are not permitted on the statement itself. Statements may be furnished electronically only to a recipient who has affirmatively consented in a way that shows they can access the format, after the disclosures in Pub 1099 part M, and must stay posted through October 15. Copy B may show a truncated TIN (xxx-xx-1234); the IRS copy never may. The consent rules for furnishing statements electronically are under review: Notice 2026-4 asked for comments (due May 23, 2026) on whether the broker rules, and then the rules for every other payee statement, should change.
Corrections and state copies
A wrong amount, code or checkbox is a Type 1 correction: one corrected return with the CORRECTED box checked. The wrong form type is a Type 2 correction: a zeroed-out copy of the original plus a new original, in that order. A wrong or missing payee TIN or name is also Type 2 on paper, but IRIS corrects it in one step on the original record (Publication 5717). Publication 1099 also says you are not required to file a correction for a missing or incorrect TIN if you meet the reasonable-cause standard, only to use the right TIN on the next return, although the IRS encourages the correction. Details and the paper error charts are on the 1099 corrections page.
Form 1099-Q is not in the Combined Federal/State Filing program, so any state that requires it must receive it directly. Requirements by state are on the state pages.
Questions people ask about Form 1099-Q
Is a 529 rollover to a Roth IRA reported?
Yes. Box 4b, added for 2026, marks a trustee-to-trustee rollover from a QTP to a Roth IRA of the beneficiary; the receiving IRA trustee reports it on Form 5498.
Do we report a transfer between two 529 plans?
Yes, with box 4a checked.
Which penalty applies to a late 1099-Q?
$50 per return under IRC 6693IRC 6693Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII, unlimited, rather than the IRC 6721IRC 6721Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII tiers.
Other federal forms
1042-S · 1097-BTC · 1098 · 1098-C · 1098-E · 1098-F · 1098-Q · 1098-T · 1098-VLI · 1099-A · 1099-B · 1099-C · 1099-CAP · 1099-DIV · 1099-G · 1099-INT · 1099-K · 1099-LPS · 1099-LS · 1099-LTC · 1099-MISC · 1099-NEC · 1099-OID · 1099-PATR · 1099-QA · 1099-R · 1099-S · 1099-SA · 1099-SB · 3921 · 3922 · 5498 · 5498-ESA · 5498-QA · 5498-SA · 5498-TA · W-2G · 1099-DA · Comparison table
Sources: IRS Publication 1099 (2026), General Instructions for Certain Information Returns, which replaced the separate General Instructions starting with tax year 2026; Instructions for Form 1099-Q (Rev. April 2025); Pub 1099 (2026) part O (section 6693)IRC 6693Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII; IRC 529IRC 529Internal Revenue Code, Cornell LII, 530, 6693. Threshold amounts are indexed for inflation from calendar year 2027; check IRS.gov/InflationAdjustment for the current year.